The Hero of Hyrule
by Della Ithilien
Summary: Zelda and Midna join Link on an adventure to save Hyrule and the Twilight Realm. After the village kids from Ordon are captured, Link sets out to save them and discovers they aren't the only ones who need saving! (T for violence & set in Twilight Princess world) (not the best description I know)
1. Chapter 1

(Set in TP, Kind of follows the story but not really… more like the general idea is followed with my own things happening… hey! Who knows, maybe this won't follow anything at all… it probably won't because I haven't played the game for a few months. First fanfic so be critical, but not too harsh. Also I think I'm supposed to put something here about me not owning anything, though that would be AMAZING if I did…which I don't… boo. Okay, onward we march!)

Ch.1  
"Hey!" called Fado as Link stumbled out of bed. He rubbed his tired eyes and looked out the window. Late again. He pulled on his Ordon clothes and just barely managed to get down from all of the ladders in his house before tumbling out the door.

"I'm here! I'm here! I know. I'm late…again."

"Yes you are. Today is important! You'll never get the ranch at this point. You need to buckle down! You're a man now, I know you don't feel ready yet, but it's time to start thinking about the future. Ilia has had a thing for you for a while now, right?"

Link sighed. "Really? First thing in the morning?"

"It's noon."

"Oh. Well it's still first thing in _my_ morning. But can we not have this talk now? Ilia is my _friend_ and nothing else. I'm going to just…wait, where's Epona?"

They both looked at each other and at the same time mumbled, "Ilia"

"Meet me at the ranch Link… unless I close it down by the time you get back."

"Fine. I'll be right there." Still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he knew exactly where to go. He made his way down the rocky path to the spring he and Ilia had been going to since they were kids. No doubt, she was there.

"Hey Link!" She smiled and hugged him before backing up toward Epona.

"Ilia, just because I am asleep does not mean you can take my horse."

"Well, she was bored and you weren't paying enough attention to her."

"I was asleep…"

"My point exactly."

"Ilia, I need to get to the ranch. Can I please have her back?"

She smiled, "Only if you give me a ride back to my house so I can get ready for today."

"Fine, climb up."

They rode Epona to Mayor Bo's house, Ilia's stop. She got off the horse and stroked the horse's head fondly.

"You know where to find me if you get lonely," she whispered. Link looked at her, slightly shocked and confused. She laughed her contagious laugh. "I was talking to your horse!"

Blushing slightly, Link shook his head. "I knew that. I just didn't know that you two had become so close. Should I find you two a room?" He stroked Epona's mane affectionately.

Ilia just crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. "Don't you have work to do?"

Tugging at the reigns, Link grinned and headed up the hill to Fado's ranch. "I'm here!" he called as he rode into the center of the field. He turned his head toward the barn and saw Fado waving his arms, trying to heard the goats into the building. A few had escaped past him, others grazed, unfazed by Fado's attempts to move them.

Shaking his head, Link spurred Epona forward, sitting up in the saddle as he raced along the perimeter of the ranch, herding goat after goat within a minute. Fado stood with his arms crossed as he closed the wooden doors to the barn once the goats were safely inside.

Link hopped off Epona and helped with the lock. "So why are you closing up so early? And why are you locking the door? You never lock them in."

Fado pointed toward the sky in the distance. Dark clouds were moving quickly toward Ordon, the air already becoming breezy. "Besides the wonderful weather ahead of us, you've forgotten what today is, haven't you? Link, where has your brain been these past few weeks?" When Link shrugged and made a face, Fado continued. "The Princess of Hyrule is coming here. Judging by the weather she won't be here long but Rusl is presenting her with that beautiful sword. Bo and Ilia are hosting her and her guards or whoever she's bringing with her." Whacking Link's head, Fado held Epona and gestured for Link to get back on. "Go make yourself look decent."

With a sigh, Link complied, trotting slowly back to his treehouse. He sat a moment longer before deciding to go to the spring to freshen himself up. The trees creaked with the wind of the coming rain and the sky was already darkening, the clouds moving fast. He felt no need to rush, despite the princess arriving in the village later or the impending rainfall.

As Link neared the gate to the spring, he saw it was open, though he was positive he and Ilia had closed it. Dismounting, he crept closer and peeked his head in. Kneeling by the spring was a figure cloaked in black. Careful to stay silent, Link crept in and pulled out his slingshot, the only thing he had on him. This was no villager.

"Who are you?" he called in his most intimidating voice. As soon as he spoke he cringed at how stupid he sounded. He should have just shot a few pellets off first. But when the figure turned around, startled, he lowered his weapon and let his mouth fall open.

Standing in front of him was a beautiful woman with eyes the color of the sky as it turned from blue to grey. Her brunette hair was light, falling over her shoulders and into her face. She moved it aside revealing a golden circlet on her head with a blue stone in the center.

Almost managing to form a sentence, Link cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Oh," he said simply. She smiled and took a step toward him, revealing a long white dress under her black cloak.

She gestured to the water. "It was beautiful in here. I could almost feel the spirit Ordana speaking to me. Do you ever feel that way in here?"

Regaining some of his composure, he nodded and dipped his hand into the water where it met the sand. He let it slip through his fingers and stood back up. "They say it can heal. You can almost feel the energy when you touch it. They say Ordana himself takes care of the wounded that come here."

With a smile that reached her eyes, the woman nodded vigorously. "You feel that all too? Oh… forgive me. I'm Zelda, Princess of Hyrule." She held out her hand for him.

Wiping his own along his pants to clean it quickly, he grabbed hers and bowed his head. "I guessed. I'm Link… Assistant Rancher of Ordon. I didn't expect to see you here… or here so early."

She shrugged gracefully, as was everything she did, and ran a hand along the moss covered stone beside her. "I saw the rain and decided to hurry along. I didn't want everyone getting wet."

Link brushed back a piece of his own sandy blonde hair. "I think they'll appreciate that. They—"

He heard a soft grunt and the clog of hooves. Turning around, Epona walked over to her owner and nudged his face with her nose. He stroked her neck and moved the horse away from the princess. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"No, no, I love horses. I have my own back at the palace but I rarely see her anymore." She extended her hand slowly to the horse who made no moves at all. Zelda ran a hand along the side of its face and smiled again. "Hello there girl. What's your name?"

"Epona."

She looked over at Link. "Is she yours or from your ranch?"

"I've had her ever since she was a foal."

With glistening eyes, Zelda moved back. "I can tell. You two have a strong connection."

A nervous laugh escaped Link's mouth and he looked down to see he was still in his dirty ranching clothes. He tugged at his shirt's disheveled hem.

Giggling, Zelda put her hand on Link's arm. "You're dressed fine. This is your home, you should be dressed as you normally are." She looked up at the sky and grimaced. "Though, I should get to your village soon before the rain."

Link grabbed Epona's reigns in his hand and led her from the spring, Zelda following. Link closed the gate and gestured in the right direction. "Would you like me to go back with you? Or is that not something I should do? I could just ride ahead and let them know you're here. But that would be rude, just leaving you here…"

As Zelda laughed, her voice was like a melody to Link's ears. He tried not to hear the musical sound of her voice, fearing that he'd go dumbstruck again, but she was contagious. Her happiness radiated off of her and on to everything around. "Link, you can walk back with me if you'd like, there are no rules against it."

Tugging on Epona's reigns, Link fell into step beside the princess. He kept trying to peek at her from the corner of his eye, but each time Zelda would smirk and he knew he'd been caught. As they passed Link's house, he nodded toward it. "That's where I live."

Link tied Epona loosely next to the tree. She could easily untie herself if she wanted. Zelda grinned and grabbed the ladder. "May I see?"

Stuttering, Link finally nodded and let Zelda climb up the ladder first. "It's not much but it's clean for once." Zelda giggled as she stepped through the door and looked around. In front of her was a fireplace with a pot dangling over it, embers still red from recently having been lit. Off to the side was the adder to his basement, the darkness reaching the very top of the rung. On the other side was some of his equipment for everyday life. She looked up the two ladders that led up to his peak window.

"That must be an incredible view."

"You can look if you want to."

She sighed, "I do but I need to get going. Please, I'd like the full tour another time, it's so nice here! Sometimes I wish I lived more like this."

After they were back outside and in the village, the commotion began.

"It's the princess!"

"She's early! I have to get ready!"

"Link is with her?"

"What?"

The last voice was Ilia as she ran off her stoop and met Link and the princess at the bridge. "Hello Your Highness! I'm sorry; we didn't expect you for a few more hours."

Mayor Bo ran out the door and stood by his daughter apologizing. Zelda waved her hand. "It's entirely my fault. I wanted to be here before the rain but I seem to have inconvenienced you. I am the one to apologize. And Link here has been keeping me company, so I am very able to wait until the agreed time."

Bo looked to Link. "When did you meet Her Highness?"

Smirking, Link winked at Zelda, "We go way back…"

Ilia scoffed and crossed her arms, glaring at Link judgingly. "You just met her and you're already bothering her.

Bo touched his daughter's arm and she stepped aside. He bowed to the princess and motioned for her to follow him inside. "There is no problem. Come in, the sword will be here momentarily. Ilia? Would you get Rusl?"

She nodded and ran off up the hill. Link followed Zelda inside and stood against the wall. When Rusl came in a moment later, he bowed in respect. He knelt on one knee and held out his hand crafted sword for her. "This is the best anyone could make, Highness."

She smiled and took the sword, unsheathed it and nodded. "I believe you and, I thank you. This will be an incredible help."

"I—" Rusl began as he stood to his feet. The door burst open cutting off anything he might have said.

It was Colin, Rusl's small son with a mop of blonde hair covering his face. He pushed it aside wiping sweat and hair from his face. He was breathing heavily. "D-dad! The monsters took Talo into the Forest Temple!"

A/N: Okay that was the first chapter! It will pick up into the real story soon, but just let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

"What?" exclaimed Rusl. He looked around him at the concerned princess before turning back to Colin. "Are you absolutely positive, son?" When Colin nodded, Rusl headed out the door without saying another word.

"I'm going to go too," said Link as he turned to face Bo. The mayor agreed and Link faced Zelda. "I'm sorry, Princess, but I have to go help."

Zelda nodded. "Of course. Here, take this." She handed the sword to Link. "You can return it when you come back with Talo safe and sound."

Link took the sword and tied it to his belt. "Normally I might argue with you but not today. This may be of use. Thank you."

He headed out back to the forest, Epona carrying him as fast as she could run. He galloped to the end of the long bridge and jumped off the horse as he followed the sound of distant voices.

The kids of Ordon were always told never to go into the fog. As Link stood listening for which way to turn, he knew exactly why. If Rusl hadn't taken him through the haze numerous times in the past, he'd be lost forever. Despite losing the sound of the voices, he went toward where he knew he'd find the gate that would lead to the Forest Temple. It was unlocked. Bending down, Limk could see footprints, but none were human. Gripping the sword tighter, he headed up the long dirt road to the temple. Stepping inside felt like a move against the Spirits. The temple was forbidden. Inside, Link saw one hundred pairs of glowing eyes peering back at him in the dark: monkeys. He didn't know what to expect inside, but he made his way silently through a maze of halls. There was no sound but for the peaceful whistle of trees and the echo of animal cries.

Disoriented, Link finally reached a door bigger than his entire home in the trees. He sucked in a breath and stepped inside. With a cackle, a creature jumped in front of Link, then another was behind him dropping a bar across the door. He was trapped.

Link held up his sword and swung. He missed; the creatures were gone. He moved forward with caution until the small cry of a human caught his ear. "Link!" screeched Talo. He was trapped inside a wooden cage.

"Talo!" Link called back as he ran forward toward the child. Then, out of nowhere, a giant monster appeared in front of the cage. It looked much like the creatures that has locked him inside, though this one was at least three times their size and held a shield of metal and donned a helmet with bloodied horns. There was a loud banging on the door from the outside and little creatures gathered around like they were watching a show. The giant smiled and raised its own sword to Link.

Link could feel his heart ready to fly out of his chest and land on the ground. His vision blurred for a moment before everything became clearer than ever. He'd never fought anything _real_ before. Only ever Rusl's practice sessions with wooden swords. This sword was heavier than the wood, but not so heavy that it didn't feel right in his hand. Without waiting any longer, Link thrust the sword at the monster with all his might. The smaller creatures went wild as the bigger one failed to dodge. The blow didn't even look like it had affected the massive _thing_. It swung its massive sword at Link with a grin that was more devilish than anything Link had ever flashed at Ilia. He managed to roll out of the way in time, but was rattled by the tremor that followed the blade colliding with the ground.

It didn't take long for Link to realize how slow the creature was. He began to hack away at bits of its green flesh before moving away from its massive hands. Link was exhausted and his body was sore already and burning with pain from a few scrapes he'd endured. Still, he came to life when he found the opening he'd needed. The monster raised his sword above its head and exposed its chest. Knowing that if this didn't kill the creature, the blow from the giant sword would surely kill Link, he mustered all his courage, ran directly into the monster's chest and used all his momentum to drive the sword home. The creature gave a cry of agony and dropped its arms down, knocking into Link with a loud thump. Link crawled away as the rest of the body followed the arms to the ground. The smaller creatures screeched and slowly followed each other out through the temple windows.

Link gasped and felt a sharp stinging on his side mixed in with some duller pain in his arms and ribs. The creature had hit him hard, spotting his vision with stars as the adrenalin he felt during the fight began to wear off. He looked down at himself and gagged at the amount of the monster's black blood had mixed with his own red blood and stained his clothes. Pushing himself of the ground before the pool of spreading black blood could reach him, he pulled the sword from the corpse and made his way to the cage.

"Duck as low as you can, Talo. Don't get up until I say."

Talo did as Link said and he swung at the top of the cage, shredding the wooden cage with one swing.

"Wow! Link, you were _amazing!_ You were al, 'Hyaah yah pow wham!' Can you show me how to do that!?"

Link grabbed Talo by the arm and bent down meeting Talo at his short height. "Do you understand that you could have been killed?" He spat some blood from his mouth off to the side. "Your parents are worried sick and are going to have to talk to you because I can't. We just need to get you back right now." He half dragged Talo to the locked door. With all of his remaining strength, he lifted the bar, a cry of pain escaping with the effort. The door slid open and on the other side ready to attack, was Rusl. Link sighed in relief and let go of Talo to lean against his sword.

Rusl looked over Link with concern, the two colors of blood, the bruises that were already appearing, and the satisfied grin that was inching across his face. Rusl smiled back, proud. He then grabbed Talo as Link had. "You okay?" When Talo nodded, Rusl scowled, "What were you doing in near the Forest Temple in the first place?"

"Link was AMAZING! You should have seen him!"

Rusl rolled his eyes, thankful that it wasn't his child who had been lost in the Forest Temple. The walk back to the village was slow and the events recounted by Talo again and again. Link led Epona back, refusing to ride despite Rusl's attempts to force him onto the horse. Secretly, Link was afraid of the pain the trotting might cause to his ribs. By the time they'd gotten to her, it had begun to rain and some of the blood washed onto the grass.

He passed his house with a wistful look, but he wanted to get Talo settled before he went home for the night. The only lights in the village were coming from Bo's house, so the three headed over to the far side.

A young voice called out, alerting the others to their arrival. The entire town ran out of the house and into the rain to greet the heroes. Jaggle and Pergie raced toward their son and held him tight before carrying him and Malo home with only a quick thank you to Rusl, more concerned with their son than the heroes. Talo on the other hand, could be heard recounting the tale again as he headed to his home.

Colin ran to his father with his mother, Uli, following behind. Ilia and Bo ran toward Link, but he held out his hand and leaned over on his sword before they could crush him. Ilia gawked at Link's wet, disheveled and bloody clothes and Bo cleared the way to get him inside.

As the water dripped past his eyes, Link wiped it away and saw the princes still inside. Her hand was covering her mouth as she looked him over. She ran over and gently placed her hands on his shoulder to steady him.

"We've got this, Princess," muttered Ilia as they helped Link onto the bed.

"I can heal him. Please, allow me to offer my help." She knelt beside Link.

He watched her weakly, his head spinning from his injuries. "What are you going to do?"

She smiled down at him, a ring of light forming around her from the casting of the candle. "It will feel warm, but that's all. It won't hurt you." Link nodded and flinched when she placed her hands on his chest. Closing her eyes, Zelda began to him softly. Link began to feel the warmth coming from her hands as it spread along his body and numbed all his pain. When she took her hands away, the pain was gone entirely, the cuts and bruises he'd gotten were completely gone.

"Everything is normal. Your broken bones and all wounds are healed."

He laughed as the truth of her words sank in when he sat up. The light was still behind Zelda. He grinned and tilted his head at her. "You were sent by the Goddesses and the Spirits today, Princess."

"As were you, Hero." She stood up and took a step back. "And please, call me Zelda."

Ilia scoffed while Link tested his arm; still no pain. "Thank you, Zelda."

She smiled and gestured to the bed. Link nodded and she sat beside him. "What you did today was very brave. It took no small amount of courage. I wish more of my knights would demonstrate such spirit as you showed by rescuing that boy, Link."

Blushing, he looked away toward the door. "I just wanted to get Talo home. This village is my only family. Talo is almost like that one stubborn cousin every family must have. Rusl, the man who made your sword, raised me with Uli. I only did what anyone would do for their family."

Zelda turned a slight shade of pink and stood up again. "I think there is more to you than even you realize, Link."


	3. Chapter 3

**Ch. 3**

"You can get off your high-horse, Link. It's been a week. Ilia stood next to the fence as Link talked to Colin again about the princess. Colin sat on Epona as Link led her around the ranch and Ilia angrily followed behind.

Link smirked behind him. "Actually, Colin is the one on the horse, not me."

"Ha ha. All you do is talk about the princess and her magical powers. She's still just a person like everyone else… just… you know… royal."

Colin smirked. "I still want to hear about Zelda! We can go fishing if Ilia doesn't want to hear our guy-talk."

Laughing, Link lifted Colin off the horse. "Guy talk, eh? I'm pretty sure I know where this conversation is going to go." He turned to Ilia and mouthed 'Beth' at her. She giggled and grabbed Epona's reigns.

The three of them headed down from the hill toward town. "I'll go get the bait from my house and meet at yours, okay Link?" he asked and ran off without waiting for a reply.

"Beth?" asked Ilia when Colin was out of earshot.

"He's been asking my advice about girls for a few weeks now. Last week he told me he was in love with Beth. I'm trying to convince him he's too young and that he isn't in love. You know Beth; she'll break his heart."

Ilia nudged Link with her arm. "You're a good big brother."

"You should talk to Beth and see if you can talk to her about… I don't know. Maybe being kinder to him?"

"I'll try but you know she's not—"

"Shhh!" hissed Link as he grabbed her arm. Their eyes widened at the sound of an unfamiliar horn coming from near Link's house. The ground began to shake violently. Bo threw his windows open and recognition crossed his face. He was about to close the shutter when he noticed Link and Ilia.

"Hide now!"

The two ducked down into a crawlspace under the house. Looking through the gaps in the wood, they could see a swarm of shadows head into the village. At the front, riding a giant beast, was a creature exactly like the one Link had fought in the temple a week ago. Behind him were more creature, each riding their own beast. They stopped inside every building, throwing open the doors and and charging inside. They began at the general store. The screams were loud but the monsters emerged quickly with nothing to show for their intrusion. Another group of monsters went into another house, this time they came out with Malo and Talo, their legs kicking frantically as they tried to escape. From another house came a monster holding Beth.

"The kids!" whispered Ilia. Link's heart sped up as the monsters headed into Colin's house. Ilia held his arm. "We have no weapons, no way to fight them off, Link. Stay hidden."

Rusl was home. He'd protect Colin. Besides, Ilia was right, they had nothing to fight with, no way to save the kids. And revealing Ilia's location wasn't going to help anyone.

Another group headed into Bo's house. Ilia stuffed her sleeve into her mouth and Link grabbed her waist and held her tight as she shook. But the monsters came out of the house without her father. She let go of her breath and they poked their heads out again.

Link gasped when he saw a little head of blonde hair slung over the shoulder of one of the creatures.

"Colin!" Link crawled out and jumped onto Epona without thinking of anything else. He raced to catch up with the group of creatures as they left the village.

Colin looked up and tried to pull himself free of the monster. "Link, help!" he called. Link pushed Epona for all she had until he reached a giant black and yellow wall. He pulled the reigns back and flung himself off the saddle and to the ground. The monsters were gone, the only thing left was the wall. He ran over to it, unsure of what to do to open the massive thing. When all of a sudden, hands grabbed on to Link's waist and tugged him through the blackness.

_ A/N: Sorry this chapter is pretty short, but I wrote the next few in a notebook and so they aren't actually as long as I thought they were after I copied them onto the computer sooo that's why this and possibly the next few are a bit shorter. Thanks and please R&amp;R!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Ch. 4**

Little black specks floated around in the sky beside him. _I must have hit my head, _thought Link as he tried to stand up. He couldn't. His body wouldn't let him, his muscles weren't working and he felt sore all throughout. _That's fine, _he thought again_, one minute on the ground won't kill me._ He couldn't feel his legs or hands or even his fingers anyway. He was totally numb all over.

Suddenly, he remembered why he was on the ground. Colin! He tried to get up, but his body protested, like it wasn't even sure what he was asking his legs to do.

Then there was a loud and high-pitched cackle from behind. "You don't even know how to use your new body yet. How cute."

Link was about to ask what she meant but no words came out. Blinking, he realized something was wrong. The world seemed so much sharper, more smells more sights and lights, but everything was grey. The grass, the sky, even the little imp floating above him. He shook his head, trying to clear they grey from his eyes. _I've hit my head harder than I thought. _But when he looked down to see if there was any blood on the ground, he saw something even more shocking: paws.

The imp landed in front of him. Growling, he took an aggressive step toward her. "Listen Wolfie, I don't know how you got to be this way, but I know someone who can help you. I'll take you to her. Oh, but don't jump out of your fur, I don't do favors for free. Once you're back in your body, your boring human body, you help me. You help me before you save your kiddies."

His stance changed, going from aggressive to wary.

"Oh, I know about them. They came through here before, not quite like you did, but that's just a little detail you don't need to know." She put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side. "Well, Wolfie? What do you say?"

He looked down at his paw again. _Wolf… I'm a wolf._ _But how? _If the imp was telling the truth, he could return to normal and if not, he would find a way without her. But if she had a shortcut, he needed to take it and the faster he helped with whatever she wanted him to do, the quicker he could find Colin and the others. But what if this was some trap? He turned to the imp and weighed his choices. Nodding, she laughed and disappeared only to reappear on top of his back a moment later.

"Well? Let's get moving!"

Link struggled to get settled on all fours before he could move. It took a while, almost like he was learning to walk all over again, but as soon as he adjusted to the change, he felt himself running through Hyrule Field following the imp's directions.

He'd rarely had any reason to venture into Southern Hyrule Field. Once or twice he had gone to Kakariko Village to the East, but never had he made the journey on his own. He always had Rusl to guide the way. He ran too fast now to take in the sights around him. He wanted to see this wizard who would change him back to his true self.

It felt like hours until they came to a grate in the side of a wall. The Imp floated over to the grate and snapped her fingers making it disappear.

"There! In you go!" she commanded as she landed back on him. He heard the rush of water before he saw it. "Well," said the imp, "we can't use the front entrance. We have to go in the back way so let's go!" She was impatient, tapping her fingers against his back. She fiddled with a strange helmet on her head a few times and even yawned as Link made his way through a series of tunnels in the sewer. There was nothing that he could use to help identify where he was, not in the waterways or on the rooftop he ran across. He glared over at the imp on his back, baring his sharp teeth. He was becoming more and more convinced that this was some trick.

"Don't worry doggie, we'll be there in a minute. Keep going!"

After forcing his tired four legs to jump up into a window and failing, the imp floated up and sat in the opening. She yawned and beckoned for Link to come to her. With a giant hand, she hoisted his heavy body through the hole and onto a staircase. In front of them was a door that was slightly cracked open.

"The one we need is right through there."

Ears perking up, Link pushed through the doors, expecting a wizard of some sort. Instead he found someone else standing by the window: Princess Zelda.

She spun around with a startled gasp looking from Link to the imp. She put her hand over her heart and let out a deep breath.

"Midna, you frightened me."

"Sorry Princess," answered the imp, Midna. She floated off Link and relaxed in mid-air. "I need your help… well he does not me really. This is a boy trapped in wolf from when he crossed the wall. Interesting, huh? Well, I need his real form to help me with a little task."

"Where is he from?" asked Zelda as she moved to kneel in front of him.

"South," was all Midna answered with.

"South? I—" Zelda was cut off as a chill ran through her when she looked into Link's eyes. She gasped. "Oh goddesses! I know him! It's Link, from Ordon, isn't it? Link? Is that really you?"

As much as his brain screamed the word yes, his voice didn't work. Instead, his body lied down at her feet and whimpered. She looked so sad for him and ran a gloved hand along his head.

"We'll fix this, Link. I promise." Zelda turned on Midna. "You didn't do this, right Midna?"

The imp almost looked offended. "Of course not, Princess. I wouldn't have, I need him as a human to help me.

Zelda nodded. "Okay then. We need to get him back to Ordon."

"Back?!" complained Midna as she floated back onto her ride. "We just came from there."

Ignoring her, Zelda bent back beside Link. "Are you ready? I know you've been running for some time."

Nodding in affirmation, Link trotted from the room.

It took the entire night and into the morning to make it back to Faron Woods. When they arrived, the wall that Link had gone through was gone. Zelda turned to Midna. "You may want to wait here. We're going to ask the Spirits for help."

With a huff, Midna jumped off Link. "Yeah, I'll wait here."

"Link?" asked Zelda as she motioned for him to follow her. As they walked away from Midna, Zelda began to relax a little more. "I'm sorry this happened to you. You'll have to tell me how when you're back to normal, I don't really understand."

They walked beside each other for a while before they reached the spring where they first met. "Link," she began, "stand on the water." He did as the princess commanded. She stood on the dry ground and bowed her head. "Great Spirit Ordana, protector of this province and these people, one of your children is in need of your light. I humbly beseech you to help him. Please, help him return to his true form."

A burst of blinding light shot through the water and a Spirit shone through, barely visible but for its goat-like face. "I see this young man and hear your prayers. I send my light to him." More light shone through toward Link, enveloping him in its warmth.

Link wanted to scream, but the pain and heat subsided, leaving only water. He began on choke. Feeling hands pulling him up, his coughing and shaking subsided slightly. He looked down and saw not a paw, but an arm.

"I've seen him too," said a new voice. Zelda gasped and stepped back away from Link. More light surrounded him as he sat in the water. When it died down, he was dressed in a green tunic that rested over a white shirt and a mail of armor. His tan pants were tucked into a pair of brown boots. The light Spirit, Faron, floated beside his fellow Spirit, Ordana. "He entered my temple to save a child from his village. His courage was unrivaled; I sensed it then."

Hissing in slight pain, Zelda turned her right hand over and saw the familiar fragment of the triforce glowing through her glove on her hand: The Triforce of Wisdom. Link felt a similar burning feeling on his left and a similar symbol appear.

"The Triforce of Courage! Link! The goddess has chosen you to bear her courage!"

Together, the two spirits flickered out, but their voices echoed through the spring. "Banish the evil that plagues this land…"

_A/N: That may be it for a while. I have some of the next chapter in my notebook but I have a lot going on with work andschool and other projects but I will not give up on this story! Just a heads up that there won't be any back to back posts fro a while anymore! Hope you enjoyed that one! R&amp;R!_


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